Chapter 4 A One night stand

Nicholas POV

I stretched out my hands slowly, yawning under the luxurious feel of the warm bed. It had been a long time since I had a restful sleep. The window at the corner of the room had been opened slightly, and the warm sunlight seeped through generously.

With a sheepish smile, I reached out slowly towards the other side of the bed but felt nothing. The bed was empty, and if not for the small spot of blood on the sheet, I would have imagined last night was a dream.

This was my first. Usually, to avoid any confrontations regarding my identity, I was always the one who woke up and got out of bed first. This was the first time I had slept peacefully beside a woman to the extent I hadn't noticed her sneak away.

My clothes were still lying all over the place where I had discarded them in my excitement. I quickly ran to check if any of my belongings were not stolen. Everything had remained intact, and nothing was stolen. I frowned in confusion. Did she know about my identity?

I looked at the bedside mirror and noted that the elixir I used to mask my fiery red hair had not worn off and the fake black hair was still in place, thankfully.

Suddenly a knock sounded at the door, and I tensed up on high alert. I slowly walked towards the door and gently opened it suspiciously. I recognized the lanky-looking man at the other side of the door immediately, and I eased up.

It was my Beta, Garrett, and he walked in with a grim expression on his face. I held up my hand before he could begin with his scolding. Garrett was a very good soldier; that's why I liked him as my beta, but he was also a big-time whiner.

"I want to know everything about the woman I slept with last night. Find out if she is affiliated with any of my enemies or if our meeting was purely coincidental," I ordered firmly.

Garrett's face immediately scrunched up in a mixture of curiosity and surprise. "Why? Did something happen last night?"

"No, nothing happened, but I slept soundly last night, and you know more than anybody else how impossible that is. How was she able to sneak out without me even knowing? I suspect she did something to me and is probably working with some of my enemies," I explained, my voice tinged with suspicion.

"I understand. I'll get on it as soon as possible," Garrett assured and turned towards the door. He stopped suddenly and regarded me wearily.

"I hope you haven't forgotten that we'll be receiving your new bride today. You mustn't be absent this time, or more rumors are going to spread about you," Garrett said grimly.

I'd almost forgotten that today was the day the Silver Moon Pack would send their tribute to the royal family. I sighed impatiently. It had been a long-standing tradition even way before I was born, so it wasn't like I had a choice. It was increasingly becoming annoying as every year I would be sent a maiden from one of the packs without fail. Nobody wanted to go against the lycan king, so they always kept their word despite the rumors I'd heard spreading about me.

What surprised me even more was that no women in the entire harem of women who called themselves my wives had been able to give me an heir, and for some reason they were always getting terribly sick and dying in the most mysterious ways. It was something I was secretly looking into, but nothing had turned up yet.

"I don't have time for that. Tell Haley to handle it," I dismissed gruffly.

"Yes, sire. I'll inform her highness. What about the consummation ceremony? Should we prepare her for it?" he added.

"I don't think I'll be able to attend. I have some business to deal with down south, and I might not be back till the day after," I said thoughtfully.

For some strange reason I couldn't get the thought of the mystery woman from last night out of my mind, and the last thing I wanted was to meet a new bride I never asked for.

"Okay then. I'll ready the men for our departure," Garrett said, already making a move for the door.

"No, I would prefer to go alone. I need you to stay here and handle everything, including the new bride. I want you to personally escort her to the royal court. I need you to ease the tension of my absence so they won't be upset," I ordered.

"As you please, your highness. I'll be waiting with the car outside." He nodded in confirmation and walked out the door.

Finally alone in the room, my thoughts drifted once again to the mystery woman. She was unlike anyone I've ever seen before. I could still remember the way she looked at me, the way my body blazed from her touch and responded to her, her irresistible scent, her luscious lips, and the way her ugly-looking dress hugged her body in all the right places.

I spotted the red coat of blood smeared on the bed sheet, and I berated myself internally. Was I too rough on her? I would have gone easy on her if I had known she was still untouched. Just the thought of her was more than enough to awaken my desire, and I chuckled silently at my growing excitement.

"If she's not an enemy, I might just claim her as mine," I mumbled to myself on my way to have a cold shower.